Petrol-air-gas generator



, July 9, 1929. w. A. HAMBERLAIN 1,720,539

PETROL AIR GAS GENERATOR `Filed March 20, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet l W i l fl l A wmp AWA/EY July 9, 1929. w. A. CHAMBERLAIN PETROL AIR GAS GENERATOR 4 Sheet'S-Sheet 2 Filed March 20, 1926 /NVENTO mw #MMM ATTO/wn July 9, 1929. w. A. CHAMBERLAIN 1,720,539

PETROL AIR GAS.v GENERATOR Fild March 2o, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet l /A/VEA/TQR Arromvfyi l July 9, 1929? w. A. CHAMBERLAIN u PETROL AIR GAS GENERATOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 m mm A suitable petrol feed device comprises a mercury pump of the construction more particularly shown in Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings. This comprises a box having two interior chambers 31 and 32 which are connected at their lower ends by a passage 33 said box being mounted to rock on a fixed pin 34 which can be conveniently carried by the bracket 35 which carries the air distributing valve. Mounted within the chambers 3l and 32 are vertical cylinders 36 and 37 the open ends of which are above the level ofthe mercury in the box 30. Depending within these cylinders 36 and 37 are inlet pipes 3S and 39 which pass out of the top box 30 and are of such a length that their lower ends are submerged in the mercury. The inlet pipe 38 is connected by a flexible pipe 40 to the petrol tank 41 which is conveniently formed or mounted in the top of the tank 1, and the inlet pipe 39 is connected with the upper end of the chamber 31 by means of a pipe 42. The upper end of the chamber 32 is in communication with the petrol feed pipe 24 and the earburetter by a flexible pipe 43.

The pipes 40 and 43 are made flexible in order to enable the box to be rocked on its pivotal'pin 34 the rocking motion being imparted to it from the regulating bell through the medium of a lever 44 which is provided with a suitable adjustable contact 45 whereby its effective length can be varied to produce the desired relative movement between the regulating bell and the pump. The operation of this pump is as follows z-Clockwise motion of the pump, due to fall of the air in the measuring bell 2, causes the mercury to gravitate from the cylinder 31 to the cylinder 32, drawing petrol past the seal into the cylinder 31 and forcing petrol from the cylinder 32 to the c-arburetter, the difference in pressure in the two cylinders being balanced by the head of mercury which rises in the inlet pipe 39. Anti-clockwise rotation of the pump, when the air measuring bell 2 rises reverses the direction in which the mercury flows, transferring the petrol from the cylinder 31 to the cylinder 32, a return to the petrol tank 41 being prevented by the column of mercury forced up the inlet pipe 39. If the two cylinders are of the same internal diameter, the petrol transferred by anti-clockwise rotation of the pump from the cylinder 31 to the cylinder 32 will be entirely accommodated by the latter and there will be no delivery to the carburetter. Continuous flow of the petrol to the carburetter is obtained by making the capacity of the cylinder 32 less than that of the cylinder 31.

If compressed air is employed for working the ram of the measuring bell it may be obtained from a suitable reservoir which is provided with a suitable hand operated air pump, a pressure gauge, a check valve and a pressure reducing valve, said air being admitted to the ram through a valve which consists of a disc 46 fixed on a pin 47 carried by the bracket 35 and of a disc 48 loosely mounted on said pin and kept in contact with the disc 46 by means of an axially arranged spring 435 Suitable means, such as an arm 49, is provided on the disc 48 by which it can be oscillated. Through the disc 46 are three passages 50, 5l and 52 to the former of which is connected a pipe 56 which leads to the compressed air receiver or pump. To the passage 51 is connected a pipe 57 which leads to the cylinder 6 of the ram of the measuring bell and to the passage 52 is connected a pipe 5S which leads to the exhaust. Through the disc 4S are three passages 53,54 and and on the back of .said disc is a semi-circular passage 59 which puts said passages (53, 54 and 55) into communication with one another. The positions of the. passages 53, 54 and 55 in the disc -l-S relative to the passages 50, 51 and 52 in Ithe disc are such that when the disc 4S is swung over into its one extreme position the port 50 is in conimunication with the port 5l through the passages 53, 59 and 54 and when the disc 43 is swung over into its other extreme position the port 5() is in connnunication with the port 52 through the passages 53, 59 and 'l `he necessary oscillating movement is imparted to the disc 43 by means of. a bell-crank lever 60 which is pivoted by the pin 61 to the bracket 35, and one arm of which is in couplel with the measuring bell 2 through the pillar 62 and the other arm of which is adapted to engage one or other of two studs 63 and 64 carried by a balance weight 65 which is loosely mounted on the pin 47 of the alve and by throwing over said weight cause the said studs or extensions of them to engage the arm 49 of the disc 48.

To prevent the bells 2 and 3 from .rotating about their axes guides such as forked pins 66 and rods 67 may be employed.

The bells 2 and 3 may be arranged either in a common tank 1 as shown in the accompanying drawings or in independent tanks. but when the Aformer arrangement is used a shield such as 63 must be employed within the air measuring bell the size of which relative to the bell is such as will reduce the quantity of oil within the bell in order that the desired head is obtained by a minimum fall of the bell.

In operation the fluid pressure admitted beneath the ram lifts the air n'leasuring bell. causing the pressure in said bell to fall slightly below atmospheric pressure whieh then lifts the inlet valve of said bell and admits air to same. As the air measuring` bell reaches the top of its stroke the distributing valve is operated to cut oit the compressed ai and open the ram cylinder to exhaust so that: the

air measuring bell is free tio descend by,

gravity. During the up stroke of the air measuring bell the oil 1n the annular spaces between the inlet pipe and the valve and between the shield and the bell stands at the same level as that in the tank, there being atniospheric pressure throughout, but immediately the air measuring bell commences to descend the inlet pipe is sealed by the inlet valve and the oil level between the shield and the air measuring bell is depressed by the in creased pressure in said bell. No transfer of air from the air measuring bell to the air regulating bell can take place until the pressure in the air measuring bell exceeds that of the air regulating bell. On the down stroke of the air measuring bell air is passed into the air regulating bell throughthe regulator valve, raising sai-d bell until the automatic regulator comes into action. if the air measuring bell and the air regulating bell are of the same size-as shown in the accompanying drawing the capacity of the machine is reached when the speed of the air measuring bell on its down stroke is half its speed on the up stroke, in which case the air regulating bell comes to rest on the bottom of the tank before the new charge of air is delivered by the air measuring bell and therefore fails to keep pressure on the main.

rlllie action of the automatic regulator as follows Assuming that the generator is working and that air is flowing out of the regulating bell the pin 19 on the guide tube will be lowered which permits the regulator valve to be raised by the pressure in the air measuring bell until its serrated edge rises above the oil level inside the valve, when the air then bubbles under the regulator valve into the bell and prevents its further fall. 1When the air measuring bell rises the air in the regulator valve is reduced to atmospheric pressure, and consequently the level of the oil inside said valve rises and it is depressed by the pressure in the regulating bell thereby sealingthe inlet pipe and preventing return of air from the regulating bell to the measuring bell. W hen the supply of gas is no longer required and it is shut off the air measuring bell continues to descend thereby raising the regulating bell and with it the pin 19 until by contacting the lever 16 it depresses the regulator valve, so that its open end comes below the level of the liquid inside said valve, due to the weight of the measuring bell. Communication between the two bells is then closed and both float until the gas is again turned on. Fluctuations of pressure in the air measuring bell and therefore in the regulater valve do not alter the pressure in the regulating bell, which remains constant at all speeds of the machine.

'lhe advantages of this regulator valve are: firstly that it is liquid sealed against return flow; secondly that it automatically regulates the speed of the machine to the gas demand without any alteration of the gas pressure, and thirdly that it automatically stops the machine when gas shut olf, without increasing the gas pressure.

What I claim is y l. A petrol-air gas generator comprising a tank, a liquid sealed air measuring bell mounted to rise and fall in said tank, a liquid sealed air regulating bell similarly arranged and mounted, an air inlet pipe and an air outlet pipe within the measuring bell, an air inlet pipe in the regulating bell, a conmnmication between the air inlet pipe of the regulating bell and the air outlet pipe of the measuring bell, an air delivery pipe in the regulating bell, liquid sealed valves controlling the orifices of the air inlet pipes of the measuring and regulating bells, means for automaticallyI operating the valve of the inlet pipe of the air regulating bell at starting and stopping the operation of the device, a carburetter in communication with the air delivery pipe of the regulating bell, a device for feeding petrol into the carburetter operated by the rise and fall of the air measi'ufing bell, a device for lifting the air measuring bell by fluid pressure, and a valve for controlling` the admission of the fluid pressure te said lifting device operated by the rise and fall of the air measuring` bell.

2. fr petrol-air gas generator comprising a tank, a liquid sealed air measuring bell n'u'iunted to rise and fall in said tank, a liquid sealed air regulating bell similarly mounted, an air inlet pipe and an air outlet pipe within the measuring bell, an air inlet pipe in the regulating bell, a communication between the air inletpipe of the regulating bell and the air outletl pipe of the measuring bell, an air delivery pipe in the regulating bell, a carburetter in communication with air delivery pipe of the regulating bell, liquid sealed valves controlling the orifices of the air inlet pipes of the measuring and regulating bells, means for automatically operating the valve of the inlet pipe of the air regulating bell at starting and stopping the operation of the device, a carburetter in communication with the air delivery pipe of the regulating bell, a device for feeding petrol into the car buretter operated by the rise and fall of the air measuring bell, a device for lifting the air ineasuring` bell byi Huid pressure which is automatically regulated by a valve operated by the rise and fall of the air measuring bell, and a valve for controlling the admission of the fluid pressure to said lifting device operated by the rise and fall of the air measuring bell.

3. A petrol-air generator comprising a tank, a. liquid sealed air measuring bell mounted to rise and fall in said tank, a liquid sealed air regulating bell similarly mounted, an air inlet pipe and an air outlet pipe witln in the measuring bell, an air inlet pipe in the regulating bell, a communication between the air inlet pipe of the regulating bell and the air outlet pipe of the measuring bell, an

air delivery pipe in the regulating bell, a carburetter in communication with Said air delivery pipe ofthe regulating bell, cylindrical cap valves Wliicli operate by :i liquid seal to control the orifices of the air inlet pipes of the measuring and regulating belle, ineens for enabling the valve of the inlet pipe of the air regulating bell to open as and when the bell begins to descend comprising a pin carried by the air regulating` bell Which cooperates with a balanced lever which coaets with the Valve of the inlet pipe of Suid bell, a cerburetier, a device for feeding petrol into the carburetter opcrui'cd by the rise :ind i'zill of the air measuring bell, u device for lifting` the air measuring` bell by Huid pressure coniprising a rzini actuated by Huid preesnre, und a vulve for controllingthe admission of ilie Huid pressure lo said lifting device operated by tbe rise and fall of the nir measuring bell.

VILLAM ADIN ClflAMBlGRLAlN. 

